ELECTROTHERMAL VAPORIZATION INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-ATOMIC EMISSION SPECTROMETRIC TECHNIQUE USING A TUNGSTEN COIL FURNACE AND SLURRY SAMPLING

A simple and inexpensive electrothermal vaporization device consisting of a double-layer tungsten coil, of the type normally manufactured for halogen lamps, was used for the simultaneous determination of Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni and Ti in aqueous suspensions of silicon carbide powder by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Possible interferences were investigated and background correction are discussed. Excluding Al, the limits of detection achievable were at the sub-mug g-1 and mug g-1 level. The accuracy was checked by comparison of the results with those obtained by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and ICP-AES involving decomposition of the sample. The precision expressed as relative standard deviation was between 3.3% (for 210 mug g-1 of Ti) and 13.5% (for 8.9 mug g-1 of Ni).